William A. Veselik was born in 1958, the third child of a teacher from Virginia and a data processing manager from Rhode Island. Veselik earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, where he also studied journalism. He began his working career as a newspaper reporter and eventually became managing editor of his hometown newspaper, where he was a successor to Sherwood Anderson, the famous short story writer. During his newspaper career, Veselik was the recipient of numerous Virginia Press Association awards for opinion column and editorial writing. Today he is a public relations coordinator at a community college. He and his wife, Cheryl, make their home in Southwest Virginia, with their two children, Ethan and Emma. Veselik has been a life-long fan of classic horror movies, including the Universal Studios films of the 1930s and 40s, but especially the Hammer Studios films of the late 1950s and 60s. Vampires are more his cup of tea than werewolves and mummies, however, and he prefers Christopher Lee to Bela Lugosi in the roll of Dracula. His favorite actor from the era is Peter Cushing, and in the early 1970s he was even a member of the International Peter Cushing Fan Club. He still has his personally autographed photo of the late actor. An avid genealogist, Veselik belongs to several hereditary societies, including the General Society of Mayflower Descendants and the Sons of the American Revolution. The most unusual job Veselik ever held was during his college days when he worked as a part-time gravedigger for a rural funeral home that didn’t own a backhoe. He and his brother split $150 for each grave they dug by hand with picks and shovels. And not once—thank God—did they ever dig in the wrong spot.